In the art of flame throwing type devices, there are two predominant applications: flame throwers directed to military uses and flame throwers directed to timber management uses. While the general goal of all flame throwers is to create a device which can project a burning flammable substance that will cause a target to burn, each application has its own special needs. In the art of timber management, it is desirable to have a high capacity device that can deliver a large amount of ignited but unburned fuel to the targeted material so as to create and sustain a burn. Therefore, like military applications, sustained burning of the expelled flammable substance, once in contact with the targeted material, is most desirable.
Sustained burning capacity (or high residual heat) of a flammable substance is usually associated with those substances having low volatility or ignition points, e.g. high molecular weight hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, many of those flammable substances or fuels having low volatility are generally not easily ignited. Solutions to this problem have been proposed. For example, aeration of the fuel prior to ignition has been claimed to result in increased burn Characteristics while still maintaining appropriate sustained burning capacity. Another example has been to construct devices that use gelatinized gasoline. While the aeration of fuel solutions are inexpensive and simple, they have a limitation: in that the introduction of increased amounts of oxygen per unit fuel may be insufficient to create continued burning of the dispensed fuel, especially upon contact with and residence upon the targeted material. The performance of devices that use gelatinized fuel suffers when operating the device in cold temperatures. Furthermore, these devices, which necessitate mixing in a relatively costly additive such as aluma gel, require special preparation of the fuel and device prior to and during use. For example, the manufacturer of a transportable flame thrower that uses gelatinized gasoline recommends that the fuel be mixed 5 to 20 minutes prior to use. Moreover, these devices generally require specialized high pressure pumps and are of considerable weight.